If I Were a Dictator...

If I were a dictator, I would totally live in a place like Versailles. That was the phrase of the day today during our day trip to the amazing, awesome, beyond all expectations palace outside of Paris.

We made it!

The four of us took the train this morning to the Palace of Versailles that was built by Louis the XIV. I realized I should have brushed up on my French History, but we had a great day even though we were a little ignorant. I was immediately surprised how big Versailles is. I knew it was a huge palace, but I didn't know it was THAT huge. I felt like I was walking toward the Vatican when we arrived.

This is my official "If I were a dictator pose."

If I were a dictator, I would replace all the cobble stone streets ever made (even though it is pretty and old school)

 First things, first, cobble stone is pretty and old fashioned, but if I were a dictator, I would abolish it. It is not smooth and we tripped countless times today. We also nicked the toes of our sandals. I love my Steve Maddens! But I guess it is a good reminder of how cool of a day we had. Also, by the end of the day, walking on cobble stone hurt so bad. I think all of us need major pedicures. My palace will have granite pathways inside and out.

If I were a dictator, my chapel would have chairs.

 One of the first rooms we saw was the chapel inside the palace. The ceiling was ornately painted and the organ was gigantic.

If I were a dictator, I would sleep in a bunk bed.

 All of the rooms were decorated down to a T. Louis must have loved gold. Above is his bed. Check out the curtains and the feathers on top. You clearly knew who was in charge when we entered his bedroom.

 Above is the view of the gardens from the King's bedroom. Just another day in paradise.

If I were a dictator, I would have more pictures of my friends and I throwing up peace signs (ha).

All of the rooms were covered in paintings each with incredible details. Some were religious, some were portaites, some had animals. The above painting was in the grand parlor across from the biggest fire place I have ever seen. It is a picture of Mary Magdalene washing Jesus' feet with her hair.

If I were a dictator my chandeliers would be purple.

The Hall of Mirrors was my favorite room. I loved the chandeliers and how well lit the room was. The ceilings were beautifully painted and there were tons statues. Check out how many tourists were there today.

 After touring the palace, we were exhausted from walking all over the place. We hadn't even see the gardens yet. You would think this picture of my friends is staged but actually, I turned around and they were all in these positions. That gives you an idea of how big and how much walking it took to get around the palace.

If I were a dictator, gravity would be optional and skipping would be mandatory.

Versailles is surrounded by gardens and they are beautifully manicured. There are tons of ponds and fountains. There is a Grande Canal in the center that is modeled after Venice, Italy. You can rent boats and paddle around if you want. We wanted to rent one until we found out they were row boats and since none of us brought boyfriends we didn't want to row ourselves around. 

If I were a dictator, I would abolish gravel from all gardens.

We didn't even see half of the gardens before we got too tired to walk any more. I feel like you can spend and entire weekend at Versailles seeing the palace, all the different garden areas, eating at the restaurants, and visiting Marie-Antoinette's house. The grass in the gardens were blocked off from foot traffic, so you had to walk on gravel. OUCH! Not fun in sandals.

 This is one of my favorite fountains. It had alligators and frogs, and it reminded me of the froggy fountain in the Stanford Mall.

If I were a dictator, my husband would live in a small house away from the castle too. 

 Marie-Antoinette's house is on the grounds of Versailles and a tour was included in our ticket. It was so small compared to the castle and the building felt more down to earth. It was decorated nicely but I didn't get the feeling that someone thew up gold all over the place.

 This is the famous portait of Marie herself. I didn't get that great of a picture, unfortunately with the glare. She is a good example for me that pale skin is fashionable... even though it was the 18th century.

I am so glad we spent the day at Versailles. I knew it was historic and pretty, but I really had no clue how grand (for lack of a better word). I would totally go back because it seems like the place that every time you go you could see something else new and cool that you never noticed the first time.